The National tribune., 1887-04-14
GOV. LONGS MISTAKE.

GON. LONO'S
Gov Long is either not intelligent not can
did when he represents in his Norfolk Club speech
that the General Government. by refusing 10 pass
the Dependent soldiers Pension Bill does not ful-
fll the promises made when enlstments were
urged. The reverse Of this Is the fact. The Gov
ernment has given the soldiers more pensions than
II then promised; moro than they then expected; (;
more than any one ventured 10 suggest ms reason
able proper tin many years after the war Of the
rebellion. Ii has been liberal far beyond what, at
the time OF enlistment. was deemed reasonable; It
has up pension list twice three times as large
what it was when II was generally considered TO
be properly adjusted in the years that followed the
war and immensely greater than that ever granted
by any Nation before in the worlds history. This
before the Dependent Pension Bill was offered
That bin did not come in response 10 general de-
mand, or because there WAS a general opinion That
il was just measure. II the product partly OF
the desire 10 spend the surplus money in the Ma
tional Treasury. that excuse might be afforded
for further taxation, and partly Of demagogical
spirit 10 catch the soldiers vote. ii is not sustained
10y the intelligent, the re1eoting or the conserva-
tive spirit OF New England. and the President has
greatly strengthened himself with the country
everywhere 10y his courageous and statesmanlike
course in meeting il with veto.-BosiOn Herald.
The Herald is incorrect in every one of its
main statements.
First, the Government has not "given the
soldiers thanit then promised" Without
stopping TO quibble over the exact phrase
ology Of the promises then made, we viii
say that the spirit and meaning Of these
promises were, that the soldiers who were
injured by reason Of their service should
have pension which would in some degree
reimburse them, so far as money could, for
their decreased ability tosupport themselves.
If the same sort Of contract had been made
between private individuals as was made
between the Government and the soldier
when he enlisted, the courts would have
construed il as we claim the Governments
obligation in the matter of pensions should
be construed.
Let us see how it has carried out its prom
ises-absolute and implied-to "care for him
who has borne the battle and for his widow
and orphan" More than two-thirds Of the
pensioners on the rolls at present receive
less than S5 month, OF q cents day.
More than one-third of the whole number
receive $4 a month, or less, which is about
13 cents day. A very large proportion OF
these receive only 81 a month, or g cents a
day.
is any one absurd enough TO claim that
when in 1s6l-5 the Government solemnly
promised TO provide properly for the men
who were injured that il only meant TO pay
from 6R to % cents a day TO them? How
would it have sounded to have told the
gallant youths who were focking to the flag
in 1861:
"Go in, boys, and do your duty like men
and Americans. Wen stand by you gener-
ously. To any of you that get the rheuma-
tism so bad that you can't do full days
work when you get home well allow from
81 to 13 cents a day to support yourselves
and family on. If you get pretty badly
banged up we may raise the figure in few
cases to is and even 81 cents a day.
Viewed in the light Of 1926 the pen
sion rates are simply farcical Had such {
system been suggested then, the author
would have been laughed and jeered intc
obscurity.
That the pension expenditures "are i'm
mensely greater than ever granted by any
Nation in the worlds history" is of no con
sequence. The war was immensely create
than any ever known in the history of an,
other Nation; the number of men engaged
in it, the battles they fought the loss Of life
the duration of hostilities-all sHrpass b,
far anything known in the history of an!
country.
What the Herald means by the Dependen
Pension Bill mot being sustained by the in
telligent, the rejecting, the conservative,
spirit OF New England" we do not know
Probably the Herald means TO describe itsel
by those epithets We do know, how
ever, that ii was sustained by nine-tenths o
the men in New England who fought tn
country's battles, and by the people VIII
stayed up their arms while they fought.
4